Robots that vacuum clean the carpet and mow the lawn are already available as consumer products – and the demand for them is steadily growing. However, it will be a while before the robot created in the new research laboratory of the University of Bremen’s Technology Center of Computer Science and Information Technology comes onto the market. This smart little guy, which answers to the name “PR2” (personal robot), is a product of the large-scale EU project entitled “RoboHow”, and it can even make popcorn if you want. The project leader is Prof. Michael Beetz, one of Germany’s most renowned robotics researchers.
In close cooperation with seven other international partners from research and industry, Beetz is working on a new programming technique whereby robots should first learn to safely and reliably carry out simple tasks around the household. “The long-term objective is for these robots to subsequently carry out tasks working as independent assistants in factories and laboratories or helping physically challenged persons manage their everyday lives”, Beetz explains.
Simplifying programming
PR2 is being programmed to “read” instructions. In connection with complex additional context information, it should then develop an implementation plan and deal with everyday household tasks. No big deal for humans; but an enormous challenge for robotics. “It involves navigation, coordination and manipulation – being made fit to odd jobs around the home is a lot to ask of a robot”, says Beetz. “The aim of the RoboHow project is to simplify the programming effort. On the one hand, the robots should be enabled to generate outline implementation plans. On the other, we want to develop new techniques so that PR2 can learn from the actions of humans.”
Recently, Prof. Beetz and his team put on a practical display of what PR2 can do, how it functions and, above all, what is now needed to make the prototypes even better. At the top of the list is enhanced cooperation with the international specialists who contribute know-how from the fields of motor coordination, cognition and psychology. “When we give verbal instructions to the robot, it understands the individual words. However, to understand the words in context in the way humans do we must teach it different techniques before it can carry out a task properly“, Beetz explains.
Project partners are the research establishments Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Sweden, KU Leuven, Belgium, Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas, Greece, and Leiden University, the Netherlands. The industrial partner is Aldebaran Robotics in France.
If you require further information you can contact:
Universität Bremen
Prof. Michael Beetz
Fachbereich 03: Mathematik/Informatik
email: michael.beetzprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
